Pine: Auditions Are Not Fun

Walking into an audition can end up deflating the ego of an actor, as Chris Pine found out during one memorable audition.

According to Pine, an actor has to be “born masochist.” “The audition room is one of the most awkward, uncomfortable places to be, period,” he said. “I don’t even know how producers do it, quite honestly.”

During one audition, a casting director was particularly harsh. “I had one casting director stop me and say, ‘All right, now do it again and make me believe you,'” said Pine. “That was half of what she said, but also the tone that I can’t really recreate. It was just about the most miserable feeling on the planet.

“I just interpreted that as like, ‘OK, stop sucking, and try to be talented.'”

At least for now, Pine can pick and choose his roles and he doesn’t have to deal with the ego-deflating auditions due to his success on Star Trek and other movies. “I don’t know for how long, but for the time being it seems that way,” he said. “I just don’t know for how long.”